Clifford was in an accident and he has lost all the hearing in his right ear. The deafness in this ear will mostly affect Clifford's ability to
A) localize sounds accurately.
B) separate speech sounds from background noise.
C) detect high frequency sounds.
D) detect high amplitude sounds.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Localizing sounds accurately involves perceiving tiny differences in sound arrival time and sound intensity between the two ears, which is not possible with deafness in one ear. Separating speech sounds from background noise is aided by the brain's ability to use differences between the two ears in time and intensity cues, which is also affected by deafness in one ear. Detection of high frequency sounds tends to occur more in the basal regions of the cochlea, which is located in the inner ear, so deafness in one ear may not necessarily affect this ability. Detection of high amplitude sounds may be affected if the deafness in one ear is complete and the other ear cannot compensate for the loss.

Clifford Was in an Accident and He Has Lost All